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#Week 3

##Tutorial 1 What factors account for the evolution of different social, economic and religious relationships in the 3 different sets of English colonies in North America?

New England

  • Mayflower - Escape religious persecution (Church of New England)

  • Mentality:

    • Never to return to Britain (different from colonial mentalities)
    • Colonial mentality: Establish outpost, exploit resource and manpower to gain wealth to redirect to the motherland

  • Social

    • Permanent settlement: Familial values take priority
    • Close knit relationships (family units start)

  • Economic

    • Barter economy (Subsistence farming)

  • Religious

    • Church autonomy: deliver persecution - some fled south (Maryland)

Middle Colonies

  • Given new chance of life - mentality of permanent settlement.

  • Established by royal grants - not owned by joint stock companies.

  • Social

    • fled southwards due to religious persecution.

  • Economic

    • Trade with the local natives. Subsistence farming.

  • Religious

    • Religious tolerance;

Virginia and Chesapeake

How they came about, why were they there:

  • Outpost/Colonial mentality
    • There to get rich
  • Social composition
    • Mostly male, larger population of slaves
  • Economic
    • Industrial north vs Agricultural south (in proximity to the equator; warmer in the south
    • Plantation crops (cash crops - commodities that can be sold as raw materials) Raw materials to supply the industrial north
    • Industrial Revolution in Britain.
  • Religious
    • Not strong to bring over.

Terms

  • 1776 – Declaration of Independence, Jefferson

  • War of American Independence; US/American Revolutionary War

  • Settlers

  • Patriots

    • Settlers who fought for the american revolution (or revolutionaries from British POV)

  • Loyalists

    • People loyal to the british monarchy

  • Redcoats

    • British subjects (soldiers) who were sent to fight the revolutionaries

  • Republic

    • Not a monarchy
    • No hereditary head of state.
    • U.S. is a democratic republic.

  • Articles of Confederation

  • Charterrs of Freedom:

    • Declaration of Independence
    • Constitution
    • Bill of Rights

  • Federal system:

    • Central government + state government.
    • Each of the states also have their own legislations and rights.
    • Deliberately created to decentralize power - not centralized into one authority.

  • Separation of Power

    • Power is shared and distributed between the President, legislative body and the judicial system.

Checks and Balances

  • Legislature is the one that passes the budget.
  • Judiciary
    • Law is passed with reference to the Constitution. (constitutional or not?)
    • Judicial system checks both the legislature and the executive.
  • Underlying philosophy:
    • Distrust of the concentration of power;
    • Distrust of human nature.

Roots of Conflict: Seven Years War

First modern world war:

Between british, french and spanish taking place in N America.

Victory: British.

Balance of power has shifted:

  • Transfers of colonies from power to power.
    • British North + Spanish South.
    • Bering Straits - Russian occupation.

Post Seven Years War:

  • France has lost majority of power in N America.
  • South of British areas became Spanish.
  • Britain need not face any hostile foreign power (French)
  • Natives could no longer play the powers against each other.

Shift in Attitudes

  • British soldiers - distance from britain: Growing resentment amongst settlers.
  • Expansion westwards of the Appalachian mountains was limited by the British.
  • Settlers demands of benefits led to British imposing tax.

Beyond Navigation Act (more measures to raise money to pay off the war):

  • Sugar and Currency Acts 1764 (brit demanded payment in silver - real cost)
  • Stamp Act 1765 (stamp duty: taxing the literate - printed tax. elites were impacted - idea of taxation with representation) largely resented and eventually repealed because settlers felt unrepresented.
  • Townshend Acts 1767 - taxes on tea: boston tea party (tax was not repealed) Imposed hardship and a lot of resentment from british settlers.

Resentment of New Taxes:

  • Democracy/Autonomy and Representation or
  • Economic Reasons

Undercurrents of the Intellectual and Political Landscape

Enlightenment (Age of Reason)

  • Faith in rationality and reason in human affairs
  • Cause and Effect:
    • humans can figure out how to work on solutions to the problems;
    • improving their own state of being, society.

Progressivism

  • things get better if you try to remedy it. (improved through efforts of man through reason)

Religious - Inalienable rights: 'Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness (property)'

Why property?

  • Elites idea of the right to own things - kings have no right to impose taxes on us.
  • Implicit 'contract' between ruler and ruled over natural rights - can be replaced if disrespected.

Rights and Freedom are linked.

Pessimistic basic view:

  • Belief in that things can be improved, yet distrust of centralized power.
  • Political power has been feared - rulers would try to oppress
  • Therefore, eternal vigilance needed to preserve liberty.

Revolutionary War

Boston Committee of Correspondence

  • oppose/protest measures of Townshend Act; gave rise to collective action
  • Urged in creating a consensus (philadelphia: cradle of freedom)

Boston Tea Party 1773:

  • Closed the Boston Harbor by the Boston Governor due to Settlers protest of the Tea monopoly of EIC.
  • Threw the tea shipment into the Boston Harbor.
  • Boston urged meeting in 1774:
    • First Continental Congress - delegates from 13 states to meet in Philly.

First battles: Lexington & Concord 1775

1st Committee of Correspondence: Petition and economic boycott of brit goods - disintegration of brit admin in colonies

  • 1776 Declaration of Independence (T Jefferson)
  • 1781: British surrendered at Yorktown
  • 1783: Treaty of Paris - 13 colonies granted independence (along east coast)
    • Actual treaty of independence - 1783.
    • American belief / point of reference - 1776

Minority in Rev War: Loyalists (1/5) Half-half distribution of support: Patriots and Neutral parties

###Reasons for the Loss:

  • Military reasons:
    • Americans waged guerrilla warfare against British conventional warfare
    • Less than 5% population in cities (capture of major cities didn't make sense)
    • British belief that overpowering the american settlers will lead to political victory
  • Settlers victory due to:
    • British mistakes and attitudes
      • Underestimated Patriots' commitment to independence
      • Former enemies of the british would come to their aid
      • Failure of natives to unite against the patriots
        • Natives were not unified
      • No slave uprising - took the opportunity to run away (55k left); harvest was affected in 1780-81
      • Undemocratic measures were taken against opponents

###Building the Charters of Freedom

2nd Committee of Correspondence:

  • Drafting of individual states' constitution - limited government is the best govt.
  • Prevent tyranny rather than effective exercise of power.

1777: Articles of Confederation

  • Want a weak central government that cannot impose much taxes
  • Impacts:
    • No army. individual state militias - national guard (under the authority of the state governor) Problem of external security.
    • Unable to force the individual states to comply in matters of trade, foreign policy and currency.

1787: Constitutional Convention - Philadelphia

  • Gave rise to delegates
  • Ideas of separation of power & checks and balances

Problem of Slavery:

  • Contradiction, paradox - ideals of liberty (conflict on human rights and property rights)
  • Slavery as it developed in the new world became identified with one race:
    • Black == slave and vice versa.
  • (Most people enslave their own kind. only on the N and S American continents were of the African race)

Representation system in congress:

  • 13 states have senators (2 senators each)
    • regardless of the size of the state.
  • House of congress has proportionate representation
    • number of representatives from the state is proportional to the size of the state.
  • For purposes of representation (due to Virginia delegates' repeal)
  • 3/5s of a white person - voting rights of a black person.
  • Universal Suffrage did not come till after the Civil War.

1788: Very difficult to pass the constitution because 2/3s need to sign. (9 states have ratified)

American Constitution: 7 Articles;

Nothing on any of the articles that talked about rights in the constitution (Bill of Rights as a separate document)

1791 Bill of Rights Bill of Rights was going to be part of the original constitution (agreed upon) but the Bill of Rights was not ready yet - led to the signing of the Constitution.

Only have had 17 amendments to the bill of rights since the end of 18th Century.

  • 25 (27) amendments;

  • First 10 passed in early years. Next 15 passed over 250 years.

  • (idea is that it is extremely difficult to change the constitution)

  • Article 1, section 2 - Legislature.

  • Article 2 - Executive (president) - impeachment.

  • Article 5

    • How to change the constitution:
      • To add (2/3 of both houses)
      • To amend (2/3 of all states' legislature: agreement by 3/4 of all states.)

Argument if it's good: Removal of power from the Executive - aligned with the interests of the anti-monarchy and the ideals of democracy upheld by the Founding Fathers.

####10 Amendments to Constituiton:

  • 1 Am. free speech, assembly, press and practice of religion.
  • 2 Am. bear arms.
  • 4 Am. unreasonable searches
  • 5 Am. self-incrimination (legal oath - Miranda rights -you have the right to remain silent. 1960s)
  • 6 Am. fair trials (speedy and public) - guantanamo bay
  • 8 Am. cruel and unusual punishment cannot be imposed - extended to you cannot suffer.
  • 9 Am. Any right that is not named (enumerated) on Constitution or Bill of Rights still belongs to the people.
  • 10 Am. Any power that is not given to the federal govt belong to the 13 states and the people.

Idea of Republican Government

(debates between 2 POV basis)

  • Economic Basis
    • Minimal role for government. Pursuit of selfish economic interest will lead to common good. Autonomy, independence and freedom from authoritarian regime.
  • Political Basis
    • Individuals have to sacrifice for the common good. (We the People)
    • Central government collects the contributions and distributes it. (Stronger power on national/federal government)